With flashing yellow lights and speed limit signs posted at both ends of the school zone, plus a police officer directing traffic in the Northwest Local School District, speeding complaints are rare.

But what are drivers to do in other areas of Stark County, where it's not so clear when you should slow down to 20 mph for school safety reasons?

In Northwest Local, all four schools happen to be along Erie Avenue NW, so that makes controlling and enforcing the 20-mile-per-hour speed limit along the busy roadway easier for Patrolman Dennis Muntean, the school resource officer and a Canal Fulton police officer.

"We don't have any problems," Muntean said. "We don't have any complaints. We have officers sit in the school zone and we never have a problem with speeding."

It's a different story in Massillon, especially at the junior high and intermediate school, which doesn't have a flashing light or restricted hours

posted.

"We have been writing citations in the school zones," said Sgt. J.J. DiLoreto, public information officer with the Massillon Police Department. "We've been getting lots of complaints. It's during restricted hours that you have to watch your speed. On 29th Street NW where the middle school is we've worked that road for a couple of weeks now because of the complaints."

WHEN SPEED ZONE AREN'T POSTED

Data from municipal courts in Massillon, Canton and Alliance show that as of Oct. 31, there were 157 citations for speed in a school zone, according to Sharon George, director of Stark County Safe Communities, which is based at the Stark County Sheriff's department.

In school zones where there are no flashing lights, or where the restricted hours aren't posted, It's difficult for motorists, like John Gattuso to know when a driver is required to reduce speed.

The Massillon man was ticketed a few weeks ago for speeding in a school zone. This was the first speeding ticket the 64-year-old had ever received in his life, he said.

"I live in the Tuslaw (Local) School District," Gattuso said. "I know what our school times are; how do I know what Massillon times are?"

Gattuso said he drove into the school zone from Stanton Avenue NW where no signs designating the special zone are posted.

"When you make a turn, the first sign you see is 25 miles per hour," Gattuso said.

He took the matter to Massillon Municipal Court, and his charge was reduced to a minor misdemeanor of unsafe vehicle. He paid a $25 fine plus court costs, which inflated the total bill to $140 — higher than the original ticket would have been. Still, he wanted to raise awareness that restricted hours should be posted.

"I don't want to see children's safety being used to finance the city," he said. "What's so hard about putting the signs up?"

Hennon said he wants to focus on posting the restricted hours at the junior high and intermediate school first, and then post restricted hours at all city schools. The junior high and intermediate school have staggered times because of the different grade levels.

"I'm still working on the legal ramifications of how we can do this," Hennon said. "First of all, the school zone hours are not posted. That, we are going to do. I'm waiting to hear from the superintendent of schools to get me those times. We're going to reflect the full transition time in the morning and the full time in the afternoon. I don't want staggered times to affect the speed. They will go up under the school zone sign so people are well aware that they're in a school zone, but then it's going to be enforced also."

SLOW DOWN

Until restricted hours are posted, drivers should follow the law and slow down when driving past a school in the morning and mid afternoon.

"It's more of a common sense type thing," said Patrolman Jim Baumgardner with the Massillon Police Department. "If I go by the middle school in my truck and I see there are buses coming and going and people pulling out, that's the active time."

Baumgardner said flashing lights in all the school zones also would be helpful.

"It's just safer because people can't miss the light," he said.

"It's important not to exceed 20 miles per hour in the school zone for the safety of the children," he added. "Sometimes children are walking to school and they aren't paying attention, and they're goofing around, or may run across the roadway and not think about people doing excessive speeds."